Layer-specific short-term dynamics in network activity in the cerebral cortex

Optical imaging with a voltage-sensitive dye was conducted in frontal slices of rat auditory cortex to study spatiotemporal patterns of response to repetitive electrical stimulation. When the rate of repetitive stimulation increased to 40 Hz, the amplitude ratio of the response after the fifth stimulus to the response after the first stimulus was significantly smaller in layers II/III than in layer IV or in layers V/VI. Similar results were obtained regardless of where electrical stimulation was applied. When the rate of stimulation was at 10 Hz, no difference was observed in response ratios among layers. These results show that the manner of responding to repetitive stimulation is different among layers and that it is stimulation rate-dependent.